Even before Mary breathed her first breath, her life story was already being written…not with happiness, but with quiet murmurs of shame and being unwanted
Her mom and dad had once looked like the perfect couple in love. Their neighbors used to look up to them, calling them the young couple who always smiled. Their small house, even though it wasn't big, was always full of laughter, the smell of roasted corn in the evenings, and promises they shared late at night outdoors.
Her mom truly believed they would be together forever. Her dad used to say, "No matter what happens, I'll always be right here with you."
But that "forever" ended the day her mom told him she was going to have a baby.
At first, he smiled, but it was a weak smile, like he was trying to make himself believe it was good news. But within a few days, he started acting differently. He came home later and later, until the sound of his footsteps wasn't comforting anymore.. it was a warning.
The familiar smell of soap and sweat from a man who worked hard was replaced by the sharp, stinging smell of alcohol. The laughter that used to make the house feel warm had disappeared, leaving only a cold quietness and sometimes angry yelling.
Mary's mom tried to hold onto him, to remind him of how much they loved each other. But every time she talked about the baby, he just got colder. It was as if the child growing inside her was a bad curse, a heavy chain he couldn't stand to carry.
When her situation got worse and she couldn't live by herself anymore, she went to his family for help. That's how she ended up staying at his sister-in-law's house. But it wasn't a safe place at all.
The house was bigger, but it didn't feel like home. Every wall seemed to ring with disapproval. At dinner, the sound of spoons hitting plates was louder than the talking, because the conversations were always harsh
little digs about her being a burden,
about "bringing shame into the family."
The hallways felt colder, not because of the weather, but because every look she got was heavy with judgment.
By the time Mary was born, everyone in the world had already decided she wasn't wanted.
There was no party, no smile to greet her first cry. Instead, the room was filled with bitterness. To everyone around, her birth wasn't a good thing
it was just another mouth to feed, another mistake to hide, another bad mark on the family's name.
Her mom held her close but even as she hugged her, there were tears …tears of love mixed with fear.
Tears from a woman who wanted to give her child everything but had nothing left to give.
And so, Mary's life began not with happiness but with being rejected
She was a baby who carried the heavy weight of problems she never asked for, scars marked on her even before she learned how to speak